E36 M3ter’s Full

In reply to jh36 :

I don't, but the very short version is they're amazing nocturnal marsupials that require a special diet, clean living conditions, a large safe place outside their cage for play & exercise, and can live 10-12 years. We spend $30 or so per week on fresh produce for them - although some of it gets shared with our rabbit & sulcata tortoise. We have a spare bedroom dedicated as a safe playroom for them, and we spend about 2-hours per day cleaning up after them, washing their dishes, fixing dinner, and with their playtime.  
 

This is Loki & Stitch. They're brothers, and are almost 4 years old. We don't get that many pics of ours since they're nocturnal & also pretty quick. 

Cool! They remind me of this guy:

a southern flying squirrel. I had one fly past me in my yard and land on a pine tree. He looked as surprised as I was. 

In reply to dculberson :

They're very similar in size, appearance, and of course flight!

Just saw this, getting caught up. I was wondering what you had decided re the van. Now I know!

It looks like a nice rig. And the price seems really good. Having lived in the E250 with my wife for three months now, there are times when I really wish I had something larger like this.

Cool pets!

In reply to CyberEric :

Thanks! There were already a couple times this weekend when we were ready for a class-A, but much of that was trying to tiptoe around tow sleeping tortoises in the dark. 

Having driven thousands of miles in a variety of box trucks(including Fords), and putting 20k on the E250 over the last two years, driving this RV feels closer to the E250 - which is a very good thing. 

Glad to see your new rig faired well.  Pretty sure you'll be able to iron out any wrinkles you found.

In reply to Dirtydog (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure I just sorted out my inverter issue/feedback loop, and didn't have to spend any money to do it. 

I realized the charger for the house batteries is located in the power distribution box right under the breakers. 

It's power is supplied by the bottom breaker, so I just installed a toggle switch inline with it. Now that means we have 3 switches to deal with when changing over from shore power or generator to inverter, and vice-versa - the inverter, the fan, and the charger - but they're all close to each other. 

Previously when I turned on the inverter, the battery charger would turn on at almost the same time, and when I'd check the battery level it would show around 1.5-2 bars out of 4. However, as soon as I turned off the inverter I'd have a full 4-bars again. I ran the inverter for 15-minutes earlier & it never dropped below 4-bars, so that's a good sign.

Also, when I turned off the inverter(reverting to shore power) & turned back on the charger, it turned on & seemed to ne working fine. I pulled the cover back off & felt the wires to the switch I'd installed & they were cool, so everything seems good. 

Towed to the autox with the RV yesterday. The fridge ran fine off the inverter the whole day & I only used 1/4 of our battery capacity over 7-hours with the fridge & inverter fan running constantly, and occasional light & water pump use. 
 

Unfortunately on the way home the CEL illuminated for a P0174 system too lean bank 2 code, but I think it's likely related to the fuel tank vent problem. 

The E36 M3ter, was in fact, full. 
 

The nearest dump station to us is a Camping World, so I called them yesterday to find out the cost. They said it's free to Good Sam members, so I asked what the charge was for everyone else...and no one could tell me. I checked & Good Sam is only $29 for a year so I signed up today figuring the convenience of using Camping World's facilities was definitely worth it. It turns out they neither check, nor seem to care, whether you're a member or no. Oh well. 
 

They already had hoses laid out, which was nice. I was surprised by the rush of(luckily) grey water when I pulled off my cap. I'd checked the valves & knew they were shut, but I also knew they leaked a little bit around the handles. I didn't realize the grey tank one was basically useless. Other than that, and their flush hose having a bunch of holes & spraying me on the back when the wind changed directions, it was no problem at all. 
 

Unfortunately I also discovered persistently squeaky brakes that I believe are both rears, and an incredibly loud whine from the transmission. So I either need to find a reputable nearby trans shop, or start shopping remans to take to my regular mechanic to swap out. Joy

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Well, that doesn't sound great. But....+1 for Good Sam. That has been a wonderful thing with the Wanderlodge. Especially with a 1:00am breakdown on the PA turnpike coming back from Mid-Ohio NASA Champs. It was just a failed alternator, but the tow for the bus , trailer and race car were covered. Best $29 ever!  Curious what you find with the issues. Have you checked/changed the transmission fluid?

You might want to get one of those tank flushing enema wands they sell to go down the toilet hole.

Seems the only way I can keep my blackwater tank level sensor working properly is to get in there and hose the detritus off of it each time.

In reply to jh36 :

I've not checked since we got home from the Challenge, but it was full & still looked fresh then. It actually wasn't noticeably noisy when I left home today, but after I got off the interstate heading home it was very noticeable. 

I did crawl underneath it this evening & confirmed it's a 4R100. So I'll call our mechanic Monday & see if there's a local shop he recommends, or if I'll just be ordering a reman online. 

Just looking around, I found this place that builds them for 400hp/650ft-lb of torque for under $2k. That's probably overkill, and I'm not sure those specs actually say anything about longevity for that matter. 

In reply to ShawnG :

I'm pretty sure the rig came with one, but honestly I didn't realize that's how it worked. I though I slid it up the drain port & pointed it sideways towards the tank. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

I think you can use it whatever way. I find it really helps get everything out of the black tank. You can get little islands of TP stuck to the bottom and they keep it from draining properly.

Fun things you learn with RV ownership.

I picked up the RV from the trans shop today. As expected there wasn't any significant wear, the clutch material had just dried out from being parked so long & started deteriorating. 

Now I just need to find time to get it up in the air, drop the tank & see what I can do about the presumably plugged fuel vent line, hopefully be able to repair the one soft spot in the floor, then determine whether I'm replacing the fuel pump while I'm in there(probably).

After that I need to do some more modification to the cubby above the cab so we can fit another cage, and I think I'll build a framework out of 1" 16ga square steel tubing also. That way there will be a bit more substantial structure up there besides the fiberglass cap. 

I love seeing this come back up to the top especially after spending the night in it.  Nonuse is the bane of RVs and camper vans.  I keep trying to explain that to Grandma Stampie.

Stampie said:

I love seeing this come back up to the top especially after spending the night in it.  Nonuse is the bane of RVs and camper vans.  I keep trying to explain that to Grandma Stampie.

Loki, Stitch and Stampie.  Oh my!   Glad to see some movement on this.  Are you going to make a "special bunk" for guests, too?

In reply to Dirtydog (Forum Supporter) :

Lol! I suppose maybe I should. 

I finally had a little time to start on the fuel vent/starvation issue. First step was to drop the tank a bit. Basically I wanted to see how much slack is in the lines & harness. It looks like I can go a bit lower, so hopefully I can reach in far enough to disconnect everything. 

Next I went to the filler & pulled the cover, we're I was greeted by a couple of brown widow egg sacks. Fortunately no spiders were nearby. 

Unfortunately the manufacturer felt the need to use about 5lbs of spray foam all over the filler neck & underneath. After about 90 minutes of chisel/prybar in one hand & shop vac in the other I'd had enough & decided to call it until another day. 

Baby steps, but still progress I suppose. 

Between work & weather I haven't had much time to work on the RV, but I did get the tank dropped far enough that I'll be able to get the pump out now. 
 

The tank is located directly behind the rear axle, but there's a 4-foot long 1.5" steel pipe that runs above the driver's side frame rail from the tank back to the filler neck. There was no way the ~6" section of hose that couples the pipe to the tank is mostly obscured by the frame rail & leaf spring - and of course after 18-years it wasn't budging off either end. In the end I had to cut through it between the tank & pipe with a small hacksaw. That's when I discovered the hose is steel reinforced. I think it might be hydraulic hose? It's dated 2004, so it's definitely original. 
 

Looks like you need those mysterious elves to assist you.  Tight spot.  If you don't have it already, a link to the manufacturer:https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/helpful-tools.  Maybe it gives you some help locating parts.

For the black water tank, I used NoFlex Digester in my boat holding tank. It's a powder and you put.a tablespoon in the toilet, one for each user and the enzymes eat...everything. You don't get a sludge buildup and it's much better for odour than that blue water stuff. Presumably you have a vent through the roof, make sure that is open as you need lots of oxygen or the tank can go anaerobic and that is where it gets really ripe. Also, plastic plumbing can permeate. If you find an evil smell in there you need to replace the piping to get rid of it. I used sched 40 pipe last time and that was a permanent fix.

if your hot water heater bakes, consider a marine tank, they have a coil in them to run engine coolant through so you get hot water while you drive and don't need power which makes the electrical load smaller. Of course, if the tank is not near the engine...an external wrap with insulation means it will stay hot longer.

So I discovered the steel reinforced fuel filler hose I have on the RV is common in marine use, so I was able to pick up a piece locally. 
 

I confirmed the filler neck vent line isn't plugged, so that wasn't the cause of the fuel nozzle shutting off constantly at the pump. I also check to make sure there wasn't any obstruction going the other direction into the tank. 
 

When I removed the fuel pump, the pickup sock was gone. I fished around inside the tank as far as I could reach, but the baffling prevented me from going to far. I installed the new pump today, so that's done. 
 

I bought 2 new vent valves for it. None of the online parts databases list a vent valve for an 04 E450, but eBay vendors do. The pic looked the same so I ordered a pair, only to discover the connectors are different. 
 

The original one used a clip-on connector(now broken off), while the Ford OE ones I bought just use a larger hose barb. I just need to work out a redneck way to connect them now. 
 

I'm hopeful I'll have enough time tomorrow to get everything buttoned up & back together, but we'll see how difficult wrestling the tank back into position is. 

...Aaand the new fuel pump for the rv was dead out of the box… I didn’t bench test it since I didn’t want to risk any damage or premature failure by running it dry, but I did try I before getting the tank raised all the way & strapped back in. So I pulled it out & hooked it to the Miata battery - there was a little spark, but no noise or pumping. :-/

I ordered a Delphi one this time vs. the Carquest one. I'm doubtful there's any actual difference between them, but for $30 more it's worth it if I never have to change it again.  

Finally got the fuel pump in & got it running. Though the filler pipe situation is  a bit sketchy. 

I'm pretty sure they must have built the house after the filler pipe had been connected. There isn't enough room between the frame rails to connect the pipe to the tank, then lift it into place. Unfortunately the black water tank is just a couple inches outside the frame rail, so there isn't much room to maneuver or get any leverage on the pipe or hose. Even after hitting the pipe with the grinder to knock off the rust & lubing it up before installation, we only got it ~5/16" into the hose on the tank. 

I wanted to secure the pipe to prevent it from wiggling lose on the road, but I couldn't get 1" screws to bite into the underneath of the floor, and I didn't want to go any longer, not knowing how thick the floors are.